Phone number alias generation

Abstract

The disclosed systems and techniques enable an enterprise system to store contact phone numbers for users while avoiding storing and managing personal phone numbers for the user. For example, the enterprise system may forward personal phone numbers to an aliasing server configured to (i) generate alias phone numbers based on the personal email addresses and (ii) provide the alias phone numbers to the enterprise system. The aliasing server may operate as a “middle man” that receives phone calls or text messages directed to the alias phone numbers and that forwards the phone calls or text messages to the corresponding personal phone numbers (when appropriate). The enterprise system may store and maintain the alias phone numbers in lieu of storing the personal email addresses.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An aliasing system for implementing alias telephone numbers, the aliasing system comprising: (a) an aliasing server having a first one or more hardware processors configured to store an alias map including one or more alias phone numbers for one or more user phone numbers; and (b) a resource server having a second one or more hardware processors configured to: receive, from an end-user device, a first message including a particular phone number for a user; and request generation of an alias for the particular phone number by generating and transmitting a second message including: (i) the particular phone number; (ii) an identifier for a service associated with the resource server; and (iii) a request for an alias for the particular phone number; (c) wherein the first one or more hardware processors of the aliasing server are further configured to: receive the second message; respond to receiving the second message by generating and storing to the alias map an alias phone number such that the alias phone number is: (i) unique relative to each of the other one or more alias phone numbers stored to the alias map; (ii) mapped, within the alias map, to both (A) the service associated with the resource server, and (B) the particular phone number; and (iii) associated with the aliasing server such that phone calls or text messages to the alias phone number are received at the aliasing server and forwarded to the particular phone number; and transmit a third message including the alias phone number; (d) wherein the second one or more hardware processors of the resource server are further configured to: receive the third message and identify the alias phone number from the third message; and store the alias phone number as a contact phone number for the user so that when the contact phone number is utilized, phone calls or text messages to the end-user device are enabled without storing the particular phone number at the resource server and without addressing the phone calls or text messages to the particular phone number. 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a gateway communicatively coupled to the aliasing server, wherein the gateway is assigned the alias phone number and is configured to:
 (i) receive, via a telephone network, telephone calls directed to the alias phone number; 
 (ii) decode, according to a first one or more protocols associated with the telephone network, the telephone calls; 
 (iii) encode, according to a second one or more protocols associated with a data network, one or more messages including data representing the telephone calls; and 
 (iv) transmit, via a data network, one or more messages including data representing the telephone calls according to a second one or more protocols associated with the data network. 
 
 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first message is for authenticating the user and further includes a password;
 wherein the resource server is further configured to store the alias phone number as a username with the password as a username/password pair. 
 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first message is for authenticating the user and further includes an email address and a password;
 wherein the resource server is further configured to:
 (i) request and receive an alias email address for the email address; and 
 (ii) store the alias phone number to a user profile including the alias email address and the password as a username/password pair. 
 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the aliasing server is further configured to encrypt the alias phone number in an encrypted message before transmitting it to the resource server; and wherein the resource server is further configured to decrypt the encrypted message to identify the alias phone number. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , wherein aliasing server is further configured to forward telephone calls directed to the alias phone number to the particular phone number only when the telephone calls originate from an originating phone number that is included on a whitelist stored to the aliasing server. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the particular phone number is an encrypted phone number that is encrypted according to a cipher for which (i) the resource server does not possess a key capable of decrypting the encrypted particular phone number, and (ii) the aliasing server possesses a key capable of decrypting the encrypted phone number to identify the particular phone number; and
 wherein the aliasing server is further configured to decrypt the encrypted phone number to identify the particular phone number. 
 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the service is a first service; wherein the resource server is a first resource server configured to provide the first service; and
 wherein the system further includes a second resource server configured to provide a second service, the second resource server configured to:
 receive, from the end-user device, a fourth message including the particular phone number for the user; and 
 request generation of an alias, distinct from the particular phone number, for the user by generating and transmitting a fifth message including: (i) the particular phone number; (ii) an identifier for the second service; and (iii) a request for the alias for the particular phone number; and 
 
 wherein the aliasing server is further configured to:
 receive the fifth message; and 
 respond to receiving the fifth message by generating and storing to the alias map a second alias phone number such that the second alias phone number is: (i) unique relative to each of the other one or more alias phone numbers stored to the alias map; (ii) mapped, within the alias map, to both (A) the second service associated with the first resource server, and (B) the particular phone number; and (iii) functional as an address for the aliasing server so that emails addressed to the second alias phone number are received at the aliasing server and forwarded to the particular phone number. 
 
 
     
     
       9. A method for implementing alias emails, the method comprising:
 implementing, at an aliasing server, an alias map stored to a memory that includes one or more alias phone numbers for one or more user phone numbers; 
 receiving, at the aliasing server, a message from a resource server; 
 decoding, at the aliasing server, the message to identify: (i) a particular phone number assigned to an end-user device; (ii) an identifier for a service associated with the resource server; and (iii) a request for an alias for the particular phone number; 
 causing the aliasing server to respond to the request by: generating and storing to the alias map an alias phone number such that the alias phone number is (i) unique relative to each of the other one or more alias phone numbers stored to the alias map; (ii) mapped, within the alias map, to both (A) the service associated with the server, and (B) the particular phone number; and (iii) associated with the aliasing server such that phone calls to the alias phone number are received at the aliasing server and forwarded to the particular phone number; and 
 transmitting the alias phone number from the aliasing server to the resource server for storage as a contact phone number for the user so that when the contact phone number is utilized, phone calls or text messages to the end-user device are enabled without storing the particular phone number at the resource server and without addressing the phone calls or text messages to the particular phone number. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the alias phone number is a first alias phone number and wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving, at the aliasing server, a request to establish a telephone connection that is (i) from an originating phone number assigned to an originating device, and (ii) addressed to the first alias phone number; 
 analyzing the alias map to identify the particular phone number mapped to the first alias phone number; 
 generating a second alias phone number for the originating phone number; and 
 establishing a phone call between the originating device and the end-user device by:
 (i) transmitting from the aliasing server a request to establish a second telephone connection that is from the second alias phone number and addressed to the identified particular phone number; 
 (ii) when the first and second telephone connections are established, merging the first and second telephone connections to create the phone call. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 analyzing, by the aliasing server before establishing the phone call, a whitelist to determine whether or not the originating phone number is in the whitelist; 
 wherein establishing the phone call between the originating device and the end-user device comprises establishing the phone call between the originating device and the end-user device only when the originating phone number is in the whitelist. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the alias phone number is a first alias phone number and wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving, at the aliasing server, a first text message including text message content, wherein the first text message is: (i) from an originating phone number and (ii) addressed to the first alias phone number; 
 analyzing the alias map to identify the particular phone number mapped to the first alias phone number; 
 generating a second alias phone number for the originating email address; and 
 generating and transmitting a second text message including the text message content such that the second text message is: (i) from the second alias phone number and (ii) addressed to the particular phone number. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 analyzing, by the aliasing server before generating and transmitting the second text message, a whitelist to determine whether or not the originating phone number is in the whitelist; 
 wherein generating and transmitting the second text message comprises generating and transmitting the second text message only when the originating phone number is in the whitelist. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the particular phone number is received in a first part of the message received from the end-user device by way of a data traffic route bypassing the resource server. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 9 , wherein generating and storing to the alias map an alias phone number comprises:
 storing the alias phone number such that it is mappable to only a single other phone number at any given time; and 
 storing the particular phone number such that it is mappable to multiple alias phone number from the alias map. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 9 , wherein decoding the message comprises: decrypting a code in the message to identify the alias phone number. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , wherein the resource server does not possess a key capable of decrypting the code. 
     
     
       18. An aliasing system for implementing alias phone numbers, the system comprising:
 a communication interface; 
 one or more processors coupled to the communication interface; 
 one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memories storing an alias map including one or more alias phone numbers for one or more user phone numbers; 
 wherein the one or more memories further store computer readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
 (a) decode a message received via the communication interface from a resource server to identify: (i) a particular phone number assigned to an end-user device; (ii) an identifier for a service associated with the resource server; and (iii) a request for an alias for the particular phone number; 
 (b) respond to the request by: generating and storing to the alias map an alias phone number such that the alias phone number is (i) unique relative to each of the other one or more alias phone numbers stored to the alias map; (ii) mapped, within the alias map, to both (A) the service associated with the resource server, and (B) the particular phone number; and (iii) functional as an address for the aliasing system so that emails addressed to the alias phone number are received at the aliasing system and forwarded to the particular phone number; 
 (c) transmit, via the one or more communication interfaces, the alias phone number to the resource server for storage as a contact phone number for the user so that when the contact phone number is utilized, phone calls or text messages to the end-user device are enabled without storing the particular phone number at the resource server and without addressing the phone calls or text messages to the particular phone number. 
 
 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 18 , wherein the alias phone number is a first alias phone number and wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 receive, via the one or more communication interfaces, a first text message including text message content, wherein the first text message is: (i) from an originating phone number and (ii) addressed to the first alias phone number; 
 analyze the alias map to identify the particular phone number mapped to the first alias phone number; 
 generate a second alias phone number for the originating email address; and 
 generate and transmit a second text message including the text message content such that the second text message is: (i) from the second alias phone number and (ii) addressed to the particular phone number. 
 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 19 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 analyze, by the one or more processors before generating and transmitting the second text message, a whitelist to determine whether or not the originating phone number is in the whitelist; 
 wherein generating and transmitting the second text message comprises generating and transmitting the second text message only when the originating phone number is in the whitelist.